English Standard Version
Isaiah 57:20
20But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt.
Isaiah 57:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
- New International Version (NIV)But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“But those who still reject me are like the restless sea, which is never still but continually churns up mud and dirt.
Context of Isaiah 57:20
18I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, 19creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near," says the Lord, "and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. 21There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."
Read all of Isaiah 57Isaiah 57:20 word by word
וְהָרְשָׁעִ֖ים כַּיָּ֣ם נִגְרָ֑שׁ כִּ֤י הַשְׁקֵט֙ לֹ֣א יוּכָ֔ל וַיִּגְרְשׁ֥וּ מֵימָ֖יו רֶ֥פֶשׁ וָטִֽיט׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Isaiah 57:20
- Isaiah 3:11Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.
- Job 15:20The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless.
- Job 18:5"Indeed, the light of the wicked is put out, and the flame of his fire does not shine.
- Job 20:11His bones are full of his youthful vigor, but it will lie down with him in the dust.
- Psalms 73:18Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.
- Proverbs 4:16For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
- Jude 1:12These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted;
Commentaries on Isaiah 57:20
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20But the wicked - All who are transgressors of the law and who remain unpardoned. The design of this is to contrast their condition with that of those who should enjoy peace. The proposition is, therefore, of the most general character. All the wicked are like the troubled sea. Whether prosperous or otherwise; rich or poor; bond or free; old or young; whether in Christian, in civilized, or in barbarous lands; whether living in palaces, in caves, or in…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-21Verses 13-21 The idols and their worshippers shall come to nothing; but those who trust in God's grace, shall be brought to the joys of heaven. With the Lord there is neither beginning of days, nor end of life, nor change of time. His name is holy, and all must know him as a holy God. He will have tender regard to those who bring their mind to their condition, and dread his wrath. He will make his abode with those whose hearts he has thus humbled, in…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20storm-tossed sea … it cannot be still: People who constantly oppose God (see Psalms 46:3, 6; 93:3–4) do not find inner peace because they are not at peace with God (Isaiah 30:15; 32:17). churn up mire and muck: Their actions are often unproductive (see Psalm 40:2).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. when it cannot rest--rather, "for it can have no rest" (Job 15:20, &c.; Pr 4:16, 17). English Version represents the sea as occasionally agitated; but the Hebrew expresses that it can never be at rest.Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 57:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 57
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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Commentaries